Man arrested with suspected explosives near Lagos Airport

There was panic at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos yesterday following the arrest of a man with a device connected to electric wires.
Daily Sun gathered that the suspect was arrested at the entrance of Centrex, an office belonging to Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), a facility located about 500 metres to the international wing of the airport and sandwiched between the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Training School and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)
Sources told aviation correspondents that the suspect was challenged, stopped and searched by private security personnel manning the entrance to the facility while moving towards the gate. When he was searched, a little gas cylinder connected to electric wires was found on him.

Spokesperson for NAMA, Mr. Supo Atobatele, who confirmed the arrest, said the suspect was not arrested at the agency premises, insisting:  “The basic truth, however, is that the said suspect was on the ground making phone calls along the airport road close to Centrex, an annex office of NAMA when the agency’s security personnel questioned him of his presence,” Atobatele said.
“His incoherent explanation exposed him to the security personnel who later found on him some devices suspected to be explosives,” he added.
According to the NAMA spokesperson, the suspect whose name was not disclosed to the press, was handed over to the Airport Police Command for further investigation.
NAMA Managing Director, Ibrahim Abdulsalam, commended the security personnel for their vigilance and prompt arrest of the suspect.
Following the suspect’s arrest, fears gripped workers at the airport and passengers, who were afraid of terror attack.
When our correspeondent visited the airport, people were discussing the incident in groups.
Recently, the Federal Government has ordered security beef-up at the Lagos airport following the receipt of intelligence reports of a possible terror attack on any international flight going to the United States of America (USA).
According to American intelligence officials, there were indications that bomb-makers from Yemen-based Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula have travelled to Syria to link up with the Al-Qaida affiliate there to produce a bomb that would go undetected by airport security. Because of the fear of terror attack, there is now the heavy presence of personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, anti-terrorism squad, Nigeria Air Force, the Department of State Security (DSS)  and others from FAAN who manned the major entrance to the international airport, the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (Nacho Aviance) area of the airport and screening  virtually all movements into the area.
Airline passengers travelling through the local and international wings of the airport as well as commuters on the airport road are now held up for many hours as security agencies frisk vehicles and persons entering the airports as well as the Cargo Hajj camp.
Aviation remains an attractive target to global terrorists, who are consistently looking for ways to beat aviation security measures. As the extra screening at Nigerian airports continues and the United States ordering that passengers at some overseas airports that offer direct U.S- bound flights, such as those emanating from Nigeria will now be required to power on their electronic devices before boarding the planes.
According to the US Transportation Security Administration, devices that will not power up will not be allowed on planes, and such persons travelling may have to undergo additional screening. American intelligence officials have been concerned about new Al-Qaida  efforts fixated on bringing down airplanes with hidden explosives.